Paul Ryan may have endorsed Donald Trump earlier this month but that does not mean the Republican House Speaker agrees on everything the US presidential candidate has to say. On 16 June, he responded to Trump's comments that GOP leaders should "be quiet" and stop criticising him.

When questioned about Trump's statements a day earlier, Ryan laughed before answering. "You can't make this up sometimes," he said. "We represent a separate but equal branch of government."

He said he intended to "defend the separation of powers," and stated that the freedom of US citizens could be at risk if one branch infringed on another branch's powers.

But at his rally in Atlanta on 15 June, Trump sang to another tune, hinting that he may have to take unilateral action against senior Republicans if they don't stop criticising him.

"Be quiet," he said, directing his comments towards GOP leaders. "Just please be quiet. Don't talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet ... because they have to get tougher, they have to get sharper, they have to get smarter. We have to have our Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself."

US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan holds a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington Reuters

Ryan's comments come a few days after the speaker made it clear that he would not stand for immigration laws that are based on religion rather than security.